Chapter 27

Ever since I learned I was pregnant, I have been caught between happiness and anxiety.

I was well aware that the secret would come to light sooner or later, yet I still clung to the hope that I could keep it hidden for just one more day.

But I never expected the day of its exposure would come so soon.

On the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, Zhang Jincan’s birthday, the mansion was bustling with a lively banquet.

My belly, not yet showing after less than two months, was gently bound with a sash. After whispering a string of nonsense to the child, I finally rose and made my way to the banquet.

Unexpectedly, Qi Mei was also present today.

With her status as the appointed Crown Princess, the invited ladies flocked around her like stars surrounding the moon. For a moment, Zhang Jincan was completely upstaged.

She wore a Phoenix Bird Pearl Hairpin and Eastern Pearl Agate Earrings. Though she was not adorned with many accessories, each piece was exquisitely crafted and precious.

The young ladies chattered incessantly around her. Amidst them, she smiled gracefully and handled every exchange with poise; her every gesture exuded the refined elegance fostered in noble households.

When she spotted me approaching, Qi Mei’s eyes brightened. She left the others and walked over, naturally taking my hand. “Sister, you’re here.”

I was certain she had never met me before, so what was her reason for such intimacy?

She drew me aside, affectionately removed the hairpin from her head, and inserted it into my hair, the corners of her mouth holding a smile full of hidden meaning. “Sister, from now on we’ll be family, so we must support one another.”

The edict naming me as the Crown Prince’s Side Consort had yet to arrive, making Qi Mei’s words rather odd.

In that instant, I recalled something the Empress once said: “Send Cancan back home as well. I never want to see that useless good-for-nothing again. Does she think I can’t do without her?”

My thoughts became instantly clear. Qi Mei was the girl chosen by the Empress; she must have inferred something from the Empress’s words. This, then, was her way of probing my true situation.

“This gift is too precious, Qiuhe feels unworthy of accepting it,” I said, returning the hairpin, offering a curtsey, and leaving.

Just moments before, I had clearly seen her gazing intently at Yin Jiuqing’s back and absentmindedly twirling her fingers. With such unprovoked kindness, I dared not accept it lightly.

As I sat on a large stone watching the koi, Zhang Jincan arrived carrying a casket. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at me furtively. “Zhang Qiuhe, this is a complete Ruby Headpiece Set my mother had made for me. I’ve never worn it before. Take it.”

Her guilt over drugging me made her uneasy, so she had tried to give me this headpiece several times in private.

If I refused, she would force me in front of everyone. Did she really believe I would accept it?

“No.”

“Take it. I have plenty,” Zhang Jincan insisted, pushing it into my hands.

“I said no.”

In the midst of our tussle, the wooden box fell to the ground with a thud.

One of Zhang Jincan’s friends couldn’t stand it any longer. Pointing at me, she said, “What’s your problem? Cancan is giving you something. If you don’t want it, fine, but you can’t just throw it on the ground.”

Unwilling to argue, I turned to leave.

“What’s with your attitude? It’s Cancan’s birthday today. If you don’t want to give her face, that’s one thing, but are you trying to cause trouble? Apologize to Cancan right now.” She abruptly grabbed my collar, her tone extremely forceful.

I grabbed her hand, trying to make her let go, but instead, she started pulling my hair.

The scene turned chaotic. Amid the confusion, a pair of hands suddenly shoved me hard.

Splash-

The moment I fell into the water, the taut string in my mind snapped. I’m finished. I’m finished. I’m finished.

My body began to sink, and so did my heart.

It felt as if my organs were being squeezed together, leaving me breathless.

At first, I could still struggle, but soon I could no longer move. The water was so cold and so dark. I was so tired, and it seemed there was a faint light above me-but I could no longer reach it.